Young people at risk from drug dealers, isolated women and jazz fans are set to benefit from grants made by the Bermondsey Square Community Fund in the first few months of 2019.
Basketball, jazz, and an older woman’s networking club are among the latest projects to receive grants from the Bermondsey Square Community Fund.
The fund uses money collected from occupiers’ leases in Bermondsey Square to support projects that have a positive impact on local people – and promote the community. The grants are awarded four times a year.
Making Music Not Trouble
One successful bid came from Club Herop which secured a £1,300 grant to give youngsters aged 11 to 16 the chance to learn how to make music, spin the decks as DJs, and get song-writing tips.
Known as the Satellite Music Studio, the programme will run after school for 16 weeks from 4pm to 7pm Monday to Friday. The aim is to show youngsters how a career in music can be lucrative and turn them away from criminal activities such as drug dealing.
Jazz Days in the Square
Meanwhile, the popular free Bermondsey Square Jazz days are set to return in 2019 thanks to a £2,000 grant from the fund.
The events, which will be held on the first and third Sunday of each month, kick off on 5 May and end on 1 September – with a special performance on Saturday 14 September to coincide with the Bermondsey Street Festival.
Hoops for Healthy Youths
The Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) team, has received a £1,500 grant to help empower youngsters living in and around Tabard Estate Gardens by launching an after-school basketball club.
By focusing on basketball the club will encourage youngsters to learn healthy habits, respect, and self-esteem, as well as strengthen relationships between different ethnic groups. One strand of the project will see volunteers mentor youngsters, supporting them to complete their homework and encouraging them to use computers at GREAT’s Bermondsey base in Cedar Court to improve basic skills.
For more information visit GREAT.net.
Tackling Isolation Over Lunch
The Bengali Women’s Group has secured a £2,500 grant to launch a weekly lunch club for local women at the Rockingham Community Centre. The club will encourage different generations of women to come together, socialise and prevent them from feeling isolated.
Along with a healthy meal, the club will give the women the chance to share family recipes with each other.
Exposing Dealers Tricks
The Community Action for Integration team has secured an £800 grant to help a group of youngsters aged 12-16 produce a 15-minute film Mr President & The Boys.
The film aims to help youngsters spot and avoid the tricks young drug barons use to lure people into a life of crime. The film will be written and performed by nine former teenage drug dealers.
Making a Song and Dance
Element Dance will be encouraging local people and office workers to come together and express themselves through dance in a show called Showstoppers.
With the chance to put on costumes and dress up, the event aims to break down barriers, reduce stress and promote self-confidence. It will be held in Bermondsey Square and those taking part will be able to choose a song to perform with help from experienced dance teachers.
Find out more at elementdance.co.uk
About Bermondsey Square Community Fund
The Bermondsey Square Trust collects money from the occupiers and owners of Bermondsey Square through the occupiers’ leases and grants awards for ‘The marketing animation and promotion of the Bermondsey Square Estate and making a positive contribution to the wider neighbourhood and community of Bermondsey.’
Would you like to apply for a grant? Download the Grant Application Preparation document which includes a link to the application form.
About the Community Fund
